DIII Roundup

No. 4 Wesley 62, College of Faith 0

DOVER, Del. -- Fourth-ranked Wesley returned three fumbles for touchdowns in the opening quarter en route to a 62-0 victory against College of Faith on a cold and rainy Saturday afternoon at Scott D. Miller Stadium. The Wolverines, who did not allow a single first down and held the Saints to minus 42 total yards, improve to 9-0 on the year.

Senior Sosthene Kapepula got the scoring started with a 24-yard fumble recovery for a score which was forced by classmate Aamir Petrose. Petrose scored in similar fashion from 29 yards out, giving Wesley a 14-0 lead with 11:52 left in the first quarter.

After forcing a punt, quarterback Joe Callahan hit Steve Koudossou for a 27-yard pass and two plays later, Callahan took the read-option nine yards for a touchdown to extend the Wolverines lead to 21-0. 

The Saints fumbled once again on their ensuing drive which was forced by senior Terence Gavin and junior Brenton Barnes ran it into the endzone for Wesley's third defensive score of the quarter.

Running backs Brandon Wright, Ben Martin and Kennard Squirrell all scored on touchdown runs in the second quarter and kicker Eric Speidel made a 22-yard field goal with 1:49 left in the half to make the score 59-0 at the half.

Ben Robinson led all players with eight tackles and 2.5 for loss and six different Wolverines picked off passes on the day.

No. 1 Wisconsin-Whitewater 17, Wisconsin-Platteville 7

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. -- Wisconsin-Whitewater picked up timely first downs and stalled a pair of late drives deep in its own territory Saturday to defeat Wisconsin-Platteville 17-7 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest and the 20th annual George Chryst Memorial Bowl at Pioneer Stadium.

With the win, the Warhawks (8-0 overall, 5-0 WIAC) take sole possession of first place in the conference and extend their winning streak to 25 games, the second-longest run in college football.

Whitewater forced two turnovers in the second half, twice thwarting drives by the Pioneers (6-2, 4-1) deep in its own territory. The Warhawks also converted 6-of-15 on third down, including three in the fourth quarter that helped ice the game.

Senior quarterback Matt Behrendt finished 16-for-27 with 177 yards and two touchdowns, while junior running back Jordan Ratliffe carried 14 times for 105 yards to lead the offense.

Junior wide receiver Justin Howard compiled six receptions for 84 yards, and tight ends Logan Solano and Derric Junakin each caught a touchdown pass.

Junior linebacker Justin Dischler tallied a team-best eight tackles and two forced fumbles to pace the defense. Defensive backs Marcus McLin and Ryan Winske made seven stops apiece, and senior defensive back Brady Grayvold registered five tackles and his 11th interception in his past 13 games.

No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor 41, Hardin-Simmons 28

BELTON, Texas -- Mary Hardin-Baylor took control of the game with a 28-point third quarter and then held on for a 41-28 win againt Hardin-Simmons in a battle of conference unbeatens Saturday in Belton. The Cru improves to 8-0 overall and 3-0 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory. The loss drops the Cowboys to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the ASC on the season.

Hardin-Simmons drew first blood when Kerry Sloan scored on a two-yard run just four plays after an interception on UMHB's first offensive play. The Cowboys led 7-0 with 11:33 left in the first quarter.

The Cru cut the lead to 7-3 on Jacob O'Neill's field goal following an Eric Allen interception with 2:10 left in the period. Baylor Mullins picked off another Cowboy pass to set up Zach Anderson's nine-yard touchdown pass to Kamray Runnels to give UMHB its first lead at 10-7 midway through the second.

Hardin-Simmons answered with Weston Garner's 78-yard touchdown pass to Trei Lewis on the next offensive play and the Cowboys led 14-10 at halftime.

UMHB quarterback Zach Anderson was 16 of 19 passing for 259 yards and tied a school single-game record with four touchdown passes. Four different receivers had TD grabs for the Cru as Wykeyhe Walker led the with 109 yards on three grabs.

The Cru was held to just 79 rushing yards in the game, but finished with 348 yards of total offense. Hardin-Simmons rolled up 386 yards of offense, with 255 of those coming through the air. But UMHB also intercepted five Cowboy passes in the game.

 No. 3 Mount Union 66, Otterbein 7

WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- Third-ranked Mount Union blew past Otterbein 66-7 in an Ohio Athletic Conference football game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Westerville.

Sophomore running back Bradley Mitchell had a career-high four rushing touchdowns as he gained 180 yards on the ground.

Mitchell paced a Purple Raider offense that generated 565 total yards and scored over 50 points for a school record eighth consecutive game as Mount Union ran its record to 8-0 overall and 7-0 in the OAC.

The Raider defense also dominated Otterbein (5-3, 5-2) as the Cardinals had just three first downs, 11 rushing yards and 74 total yards on the day.

Mount Union forced three turnovers as safety Alex Kocheff had a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown. Defensive lineman Durum Alarms forced a fumble that was recovered by Josh Butler and kicker Ed Ruhnke recovered a kickoff that Otterbein failed to field.

On offense, Mount Union had seven rushing touchdowns on the day as after Mitchell, Logan Nemeth, Jamal Johnson and quarterback Kevin Burke each had one.

Burke finished the day 16 of 28 passing for 202 yards with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Sherman Wilkinson.

Taurice Scott was the top receiver with 107 yards on seven catches.

Willamette 31, No. 5 Linfield 28

McMINNVILLE, Ore. -- Linfield's fourth-quarter rally fell one score short as the No. 5 Wildcats lost to Willamette 31-28 in Northwest Conference football Saturday afternoon at Maxwell Field. The Bearcats built a 17-point lead early in the fourth quarter and then held on for the upset.

Linfield (6-1 overall, 4-1) saw a number of lengthy streaks come to an end with the loss. The Wildcats had won 41 consecutive regular season games, 38 consecutive NWC games and 25 consecutive regular-season home games before being beaten by Willamette (5-2, 3-2).

Linfield, the five-time defending NWC champion, can still secure the NWC's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs with victories in its final two games, at Puget Sound and at home against Pacific.

On Saturday, Willamette intercepted Linfield quarterback Sam Riddle three times and recovered a fumble by Wildcat running back Samuel Robinson. The Bearcats converted those turnovers into 14 points to help put the Wildcats in a big hole.

Willamette had taken a 31-14 lead on Dylan Jones' 98-yard run with 12:02 left in the fourth quarter. The game-clinching score came on the first play after Riddle was intercepted by Nick Brickous on a deep ball at the Bearcat 2-yard line. Jones, the NWC's leading rusher finished with 166 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries, recording his seventh consecutive 100-yard game this season.

Riddle, who had only been intercepted just twice this season, finished 17-for-23 passing for 197 yards and two touchdowns. But he was sacked four times for 27 yards in losses. Running back Bryan Cassil rushed 10 times for 72 yards and a touchdown.

No. 6 Wartburg 43, Buena Vista 24

STORM LAKE, Iowa -- Freshman Brandon Richardson added his name to the Wartburg record book with his 96-yard touchdown run as the sixth-ranked Orange and Black beat Buena Vista 43-24 on Saturday. With the win, Wartburg moves to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in Iowa Conference play while Buena Vista falls to 5-3, 4-1.

On its first drive of the day, Wartburg compiled an 11-play 75-yard drive which junior Brandon Domeyer capped off with a three-yard touchdown run with 9:31 left in the first quaerter to take the early 7-0 lead.

Junior Robbie Anstoetter caught an 11-yard pass from senior Taylor Jacobsmeier to take the 14-3 lead on the first drive on the second quarter.

On the Beavers' next drive, they drove to Wartburg's 46-yard line until junior Wil Jansen intercepted the pass and returned it for 20-yards to Buena Vista's 42-yard line. The Knights capitilized on the turnover as junior Michael Bohlke made a 31-yard field goal to take the 17-3 lead.

Richardson led the Knights on the ground with a career-high 146 yards on nine carries.

Logan Schrader finished 13-for-26 for 213 yards through the air and Anstoetter was the team's leading receiver with 78 yards on five catches.

No. 7 John Carroll 62, Muskingum 14

NEW CONCORD, Ohio -- A late first half goal line defensive stand highlighted the day as No. 7 John Carroll (8-0, 7-0 Ohio Athletic Conference) rolled with a 62-14 win against Muskingum (1-7, 1-6) on Saturday afternoon. Muskingum drove down to the John Carroll 1-yard line midway through the second quarter aided by three penalties but the Blue Streaks' defense rebounded and held firm.

The Fighting Muskies turned to Melvin Smith on the goal line who was stopped by Kevin Cope and Frank Pines. On third down Brody Zangaro knifed into the backfield and sent Muskingum four yards backward. Opting to go for it on fourth down Andy Bryan snuffed out the threat with a 15-yard sack.

Blue Streaks receiver Aramis Greenwood scored the game's first touchdown hauling a 40-yard touchdown pass on the second offensive play of the game.

Quarterback Mark Myers who only played the first half for the fourth consecutive week, finished 16 of 23 for 275 yards and five scores.

On the afternoon the Blue Streaks defense came through with five takeaways, all of which led touchdowns. Offensively, John Carroll found the end zone on their first seven possessions.

No. 8 Hobart 30, Union (N.Y.) 6

GENEVA, N.Y. -- Eighth-ranked Hobart improved to 8-0 with a 30-6 victory against Union (N.Y.) on Boswell Field at the Caird Center for Sports and Recreation Saturday. The Statesmen shutdown the Liberty League's leading rusher and outgained the Dutchmen 350 yards to 242 yards.

Hobart (8-0, 5-0) has not allowed a touchdown in 10 consecutive quarters, limiting Union (1-7, 1-4) to a pair of David Pope field goals. Senior cornerback Fajri Jackson led the Statesmen with eight tackles and blocked a punt. Junior linebacker Jacob Stanley recorded seven stops, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack, blocked a punt, and forced a fumble that he returned 44 yards for a touchdown. Sophomore linebacker Marcus Jemison also added seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a sack.

Union was never able to get its running game on track. The Dutchmen had minus 5 yards rushing thanks to Hobart's three sacks. Darnel Thomas, who came into the game with a league best 111.0 rushing average, finished the day with just 40 yards on 15 carries.

Junior linebacker Trayvon Toney had four tackles, three pass breakups, and an interception for Hobart, while senior defensive end Tyre Coleman added 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack to his career totals. He now has 80 career tackles for loss (9th in Division III history) and 44 sacks (Fourth all-time).

No. 9 Johns Hopkins 42, Ursinus 14

COLLEGEVILLE, PA -- Ninth-ranked Johns Hopkins turned a pair of Ursinus miscues on special teams into touchdowns and added a long touchdown pass in the first half, as the Blue Jays jumped to a 21-0 lead knocking off the Bears 42-14 at Patterson Field Saturday afternoon. The Blue Jays improve to 8-0 overall and 7-0 in the Centennial Conference.

In addition to moving within one victory of securing a sixth consecutive Centennial Conference title, Johns Hopkins also handed head coach Jim Margraff his 175th career victory. With the win, Margraff becomes the winningest college football coach in Maryland state history; he had been tied with Morgan St. legend Eddie Hurt atop the state's career victory list. Hurt won 174 games form 1929-59.

Johns Hopkins got touchdown runs of eight and 14 yards from sophomore Stuart Walters in its first two possessions, capitalizing off Ursinus mistakes. Walters' first TD came after the Blue Jays recovered a fumble by UC punter Eric Boyer, who failed to handle the snap after the Bears went three-and-out on their first possession.

Johns Hopkins quarterback Braden Anderson was 13 of 21 for 265 yards with the three touchdowns and led on the ground with 68 yards on eight carries. Quinn Donaldson had five receptions for 142 yards and the two scores, while Munday added four catches for 77 yards and a touchdown catch. Walters rushed for 52 yards on 13 carries with the two touchdowns.

Defensively, the Blue Jays sacked Kevin Monahan four times, allowed just 51 net rushing yards on 40 carries. Junior Keith Corliss posted a team-high nine tackles, including one for a loss, while senior Michael Rocca added eight tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup.

No. 10 Wabash 41, Hiram 10

The march through the North Coast Athletic Conference schedule to get to Wittenberg is over as tenth-ranked Wabash is 8-0 after dismantling Hiram Saturday, 41-10.

Tyler Holmes keyed the Northeast Ohio romp with 122 yards on 19 carries. Shamir Johnson added 72 yards after Mason Zurek was shaken up in the first half.

Despite a fumble deep in Hiram territory to open the game, Wabash jumped out 14-0 on a Holmes 4-yard run and a 28-yard pass to Houston Hodges -- the pair would add another score later in the game.

Quarterback Michael Putko threw for 161 yards and two scores. The running game was the key though with six players combining for 310 yards.

The Little Giant defense kept Hiram quarterback Robert Partridge in check as he hit on just 4-for-12 passes for 77 yards and left in the first half with an injury. His backup Alec Wells completed  1 of 4 passes for 20 yards.